TouchPad tablet briefly returns to HP's sales page
Hewlett-Packard's TouchPad tablet was available on the company's Web site today, according to a report--the first time in more than a month.
Hewlett-Packard appears to have made the TouchPad available for sale a couple of times today--albeit, very briefly, according to a report. That would be the first time in more than a month that the tablet--liquidated back in August for $99--was offered for sale by HP.
The first instance happened this morning when the 32GB model was available for $249.99, according to a report at Precentral.net. And it went up again later in the day, Precentral said. In both instances it quickly became unavailable. Maybe more importantly, a number of commenters cited glitches when trying to purchase a TouchPad, according to reader comments at Precentral.
The HP Touchpad became a runaway bestseller in August when HP shuttered its WebOS hardware business and immediately began liquidating TouchPad inventory starting at $99.99 for the 16GB version, slashing $300 off the price.
In the ensuing days, HP's TouchPad sales site and retailers quickly sold out of stock. At that time, HP indicated that more would be available in the "coming weeks and months."
Despite the report referencing the 32GB TouchPad for $250, as of Monday night PT, HP's sales page says "Out of stock. Please check back soon."
If and when it becomes available again, that's a $100 premium on the $150 fire-sale pricing HP was offering in August for the same 32GB model.
And the 16GB model is now listed for $219.99 on HP's sales page. About $120 more than the original $99 liquidation price. That is also out of stock, however.
That's not to say that you can't buy a TouchPad. Amazon indicates stock for both models. As of Monday night, the 32G model is going for about $260 new and the 16GB version for about $230.
It is unclear when or if Hewlett-Packard will make more available. A standing notice on HP's site says the following. "We are unfortunately sold out at this time, however a limited supply of units will be made available in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to communicate the details here about when, where, and how you can purchase an HP TouchPad when those are available."
HP has yet to respond to a request for comment.